Ministers kicked the £2billion surveillance state proposals into the long grass, so they will not now be enacted before the next election.

The Home Office announced yesterday that plans to force internet and phone companies to store billions of pieces of personal data on everyone in Britain will not now feature in the Queen’s speech next week.

The move was welcomed by civil liberties campaigners, who believe the technology would be a ‘snooper’s charter’ that would be misused by ministers to spy on innocent citizens.

The U-turn means that the most intrusive elements of Labour’s plans may now never happen.

[3] Government to roll out same snooping tactics as ‘China and Iran’ by getting access to everybody’s emails, texts, and internet browsing: http://www.prisonplanet.com/government-to-roll-out-same-snooping-tactics-as-china-and-iran-by-getting-access-to-everybodys-emails-texts-and-internet-browsing.html

[6] Big Brother database recording all our calls, texts and e-mails will ‘ruin British way of life’: http://www.prisonplanet.com/big-brother-database-recording-all-our-calls-texts-and-e-mails-will-ruin-british-way-of-life.html